Adam Liaw's tres leches cake

Tres Leches cake is a popular sponge cake that is soaked in three milks – typically evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream or milk, resulting in a moist and creamy cake. The cake is usually topped with whipped cream and can be topped with fresh fruit.

• serves

  12

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 5 eggs, separated
• 100 g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 180 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 225 g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 300 ml thickened cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• cinnamon powder, to serve
• strawberries, to serve, optional

Three milk mixture

• 1 can (340 ml) evaporated milk
• ½ can (200 g) condensed milk
• 100 ml full cream milk

Resting time: 15 minutes + 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 150˚C fan-forced. Grease and flour a 22 x 33 cm rectangular baking dish. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Remove the egg whites to a bowl, then add the butter and sugar to the mixer bowl and beat for about 2 minutes, then add the vanilla and egg yolks and whisk for about 5 minutes until pale and thick.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder over a large bowl, then fold into the egg yolk mixture along with the salt. Then fold in the egg whites into the batter, a third at a time. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared dish and bake for about 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, in the baking dish, for 15 minutes.
3. While the cake is cooling, in a large jug, whisk the ingredients for the three milk mixture together. Poke holes all over the cake with the skewer and pour over the milks a little at a time, allowing the milk to soak into the cake. Stand for 10 minutes.
4. Using the stand mixer fitted with a clean whisk and bowl, whip the cream and icing sugar to soft peaks and spread over the cake.
5. To serve, cut squares of the cake and dust with cinnamon with strawberries, if you like.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.